Vacuum cleaners are typically of the upright or cylinder type. Cylinder cleaners consist of a main body containing a motor and fan unit for drawing an airflow into the main body and separating apparatus for extracting dirt and dust from the airflow and retaining it for disposal. The separating apparatus can be a cyclonic arrangement, bags, filters or a combination of these. A hose and wand assembly is connected to the inlet of the main body. A floor tool having a suction opening is attached to the end of the wand remote from the main body so that the suction opening can be manoeuvred across the surface to be cleaned by the user. Upright cleaners commonly have a cleaner head permanently attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner which is manoeuvred, together with the main body, across the surface to be cleaned. However, many upright cleaners can also be operated in the manner of a cylinder machine by having a removable or releasable hose and wand assembly provided to which an accessory such as a floor tool can be attached.
Conventional floor tools typically comprise a housing which defines a downward-facing suction opening and in which is arranged a driven agitator in the form of a brush bar or beater, for example. Dirt and dust is dislodged from the carpet or other floor covering by the rotating brush bar or beater and the dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner head by virtue of the suction produced by the downstream fan. Dirt laden air is then passed to the separation apparatus before clean air is expelled to the atmosphere.
A problem which may be encountered with such floor tools is that they may become blocked by small objects drawn by suction from the floor surface. Threads, fibres and hairs can also become entangled around the agitator, thereby jamming it. A user of the appliance needs to be able to access the interior of the tool to remove the blockage.